Humanity's Comeback
by ShiftWithTheWind
Summary: A windy, clouded night in Trost is thrown into chaos when The Beast Titan appears. He wields overwhelming power, but could Eren be the district's last, saving hope once more? Coordination is key. Humanity's about to make a terrific comeback. Rated T for intense themes, action and language. Post Manga Chapter 55.
1. A Breath of Fresh Air

**A BREATH OF FRESH AIR**

* * *

As the bell tower tolled the late hour, the winds picked up from the south and cut cleanly down Trost's streets. They swirled the bloated clouds obscuring the moon. They made all the scaffolds creak, and whistled through broken-down walls. The whole of Trost shivered in this wind.

Leaves and pieces of debris scattered, but the tired, sallow-cheeked people in the streets did not move much. They shuffled closer to the fire-lit braziers, or withdrew into the shadows, resembling skeletons in ragged coats. Below the awning of an abandoned shop, some loud-mouthed men scuffled over a bottle of rum. Passersby ignored them. A girl barely thirteen sat on the threshold of a collapsed house, head buried in her arms. She hadn't moved in hours.

The stressed neigh of a horse turned a few heads and a cart rumbled past. The reinforced wheels spit pebbles and dust, they rolled so fast. Several shadows shouted and darted after the cart. Gathered around a brazier, four bent-over figures watched the chase.

"Ruffians and thieves. They always go after the carts," one of them said. The old man had a biting snarl in his speech, like a cough constantly trying to burst his lungs. The other man and two women with him nodded in agreement.

"Hey. Liebs Corporation has been delivering a lot lately," said the man whose voice carried a dried-up sneer.

"They're supporting rebels." This from the old woman, her voice ancient but firm.

"What!" the second woman asked fearfully. Her young voice couldn't rise above a whisper.

The old bird cracked a smile. "It's true. My son works for Liebs and I know what he does."

Her words received mixed reactions of doubt and fret. The group huddled closer around the fire.

"Is there going to be a revolution?" the frightened one asked.

"Hmph! I heard the Survey Corps and Garrison were starting something," the growling man said.

"Not the Garrison!"

"Bite me," the second man drawled, "When have those wall-menders ever done anything, except take our food?"

The elder spoke sagely as she warmed her palms. "The Survey Corps are here. I know. They're hiding from Central."

"Hush, old sow!" the coughing voice barked. "Your son with them? He's stirring trouble where he shouldn't."

"Yes!" whimpered the frail voice. "Trouble, trouble and war!" She clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Damn my head if I know what's really happening." The bored man sighed. "All I know is there's no food. And no one to keep me company at night except my addled granny." He spat.

The young woman breathed fast. "I feel sick. We can't be going to war, we can't..."

"Against the Military Police, no less," the old man grumbled. "Impossible!"

Firelight danced on the contours of the old woman's wrinkles. "Trost has done the impossible before. Look, child." She turned to the girl and nodded at the Wall. "Look at our gate. You know what we call it?"

"Useless?" The grandson smirked.

"No, young man. We call that gate the site of humanity's comeback."

The wind shifted direction and rushed along the ground. It blasted fruitlessly against the jagged grooves of the massive boulder blocking Trost's front gate. The stone was still black and burnt from the residual remains of the monster that put it there.

* * *

The watch guards on the Wall were all volunteers, some not even in uniform. They meandered the perimeter, leaving whole sections unchecked for hours. No one wanted to be up there very long; the high altitude and exposure could affect a man's stomach.

The few and bold stuck it out. Two guards crouched by a cannon, one holding a lantern while the other did inspection. He sucked on a cigarette, mumbling to himself. His comrade had long given up trying to understand him.

"Can you fix it?" he asked irritably.

Muttering.

The other guard sighed then frowned as he heard fast footsteps. He turned to see a boy in Garrison uniform running along the ramparts. "Hey! Careful you don't fall!" he called after him. "Tch. Greenhorn."

"Who was that?" his friend asked.

"How am I supposed to know? These days anybody can get up on this damned Wall."

The Wall ramparts were shrouded in nigh total darkness. If not for the braziers every few yards, a man could walk blindly off the edge. Though the beacons had plenty of fuel from the debris piles, many were cold because no one bothered to light them.

Barely breaking a sweat, the boy jogged straight through the dark spots. His skin cooled in the wind and his heart held a steady, laborious beat. His stride slowed as he neared the gate and finally reached a brazier. Gulping in air, he pulled back the hood of his coat. The fire glowed on a bold, tanned face with eyes like green pearls. They gazed skyward.

_I escaped her. For now._

Sighing, Eren Jaegar tousled his earth-brown hair and took a more leisurely pace along the Wall. The rampart rails for carrying the cannons cut off and the next twenty meters stretched out naked and warped, like skinned flesh. As he walked, Eren looked out at the expanse beyond the Wall. Blackness. He couldn't see a thing.

_Why does Squad Leader Hanji have to ask so many questions? Doesn't she know what "I can't remember" means?_ Eren bit his lip and sullenly jerked his hood back up. _I probably only have ten minutes before Squad Leader knows I'm not in the john and comes looking for me._ _Shit. That's not very long-!_

He stopped in his tracks as he saw a figure up ahead. It was a man in uniform, sitting on cloth-covered crates and wearing a long coat. Eren recognized the soldier's small but commanding stature and curtain-cut black hair.

_Captain Levi?_ Eren slowly approached. _I thought he was interrogating those two Military Police officers we took hostage. _It was definitely the captain, though he wore Garrison colors under his coat. The whole of Squad Levi had adopted the façade for now, until Commander Erwin sent further notice.

Levi bent over his three-dimensional maneuver gear, meticulously cleaning it by lantern light. Concentration edged his perpetual frown. Cleaning equipment was a delicate process most soldiers hated. Every cog and part in the unit had to be tested and cleaned with a kit. Maintenance had to be done after every use; a worn cable or a faulty trigger could cause a fatal malfunction for users maneuvering mid-air. It didn't surprise Eren to see Levi buffing his gear for the sake of it.

_If he's on break, I probably shouldn't disturb him. But..._he looked back, started in that direction, paused, looked one way, and then the other. His feet moved back and forth in conflict.

"Hey, brat." Levi's emotionless voice stopped Eren dead. The captain's gaze remained fixed on his task. "Watch your noisy feet don't step off the edge."

_Shit! Does he know it's me? _Eren stood still with his back to him.

"Unless that's what you want," Levi said, buffing his gear's drum until it gleamed, "To jump off. Fall fifty meters. Nothing but a bloody splat at the bottom. Tch." He pulled a length of cable out of the drum, inspecting every fiber. "Suit yourself. I have no use for cowards too weak for this world."

_He sounds more pissed than usual. I shouldn't be here._ Eren took a step back the way he came.

Suddenly Levi looked up. "Hey, come here."

Eren cringed, his shoulders hitching. Then he sighed, turned around and showed himself. "It's me, Captain." He lowered his hood.

Levi's frown took on a second, barely perceivable layer of irritation and he turned back to his cleaning. "Take a seat," he ordered. "Not next to me," he added as Eren made for the crates. "There." He pointed at the pebble-littered ground.

Eren took his assigned seat, several feet away from his captain. He faced the dark expanse and relaxed his elbow on a propped-up knee. Silence comforted them both.

"You know the rules," Levi said. "You shouldn't be out on your own."

"You're here, sir," Eren said, faint resentment in his tone.

Levi's potent pause felt like a kick in the teeth.

Eren nervously rubbed his jaw. "Understood, sir." He started to get up. "Sorry to have bothered you, sir. I'll go."

"You ran away from **her**, didn't you?"

WHUMP. Eren fell back on his butt with an involuntary groan. Hiking both knees up, he ran a hand through his bangs. _Damnit. He's going to send me back. _Catching Levi's stare, he faced forward and tried to look composed.

"You have a constipated look on your face," Levi remarked, inspecting his blade canisters. "When people have shit to get out, they had better get it out."

Eren sucked in air through his teeth. "I'm fine, sir."

"Say what you want to say, brat," the captain drawled. "I probably won't kick your ass this time."

The boy blew out a big breath. "Squad Leader Hanji asks too many questions."

Levi's voice went flat. "This is news to me."

"It's just, uh..." Eren wet his lips, spitting out words as they came to him. "The more she asks...the more useless I feel. All this time we've been experimenting. I can barely remember anything except waking up feeling half dead, and confused! And I think..." He looked down at his hands, unconsciously hushing his voice. "There's something really important...I can't remember..."

He closed his fists tight, grasping at nothing. "Also, Captain, it's struck me - since my Titan power was discovered and I sealed the gate, people have called me humanity's last hope." He glared, voice rising. "I can transform into a monster and **that's** supposed to cause hope! I wish. All it's done, all I've done, is cause war and death and…shit!" Eren pulled up his hood, his tone more sour than Sasha's hoarded quarts of milk. "Jean said I'm more like humanity's last straw. Bastard."

Levi finished cleaning. He stood and buckled on the unit and the blades. Then he walked over to Eren, gazing at the shadow-cloaked land beyond the Wall. Looking up at him, Eren made to rise. Barely did he move before Levi wordlessly grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down. Eren sat still, red-faced.

The captain sighed. "All you ever do is whine, piglet."

"Sorry, sir."

A strong wind breached the Wall, ruffling their hair. Levi met it full in the face. "Eren. Did your shit-filled brain with its shitty memory forget why you joined the Survey Corps? You wanted to become strong, so you could kill Titans. What do you think the word 'strong' means?"

"Uh..." Eren tried to think. "More powerful, sir."

"Weak people think that," Levi said. "They have never known power, except when it's used against them. So they think if they had power, they wouldn't be weak anymore, and that must mean they're strong."

He stared down at Eren, eyes hidden in shadow. "Eren. You've come to possess a power that can level buildings, but tell me honestly. Do you feel strong, right now?"

Eren couldn't look at him. "No, sir."

"I'm Humanity's Strongest Soldier. You want to be strong like me?"

"I do, sir!"

Levi's voice drilled into Eren like a thin, precise needle. "Use everything you have. If you don't have any power, skill, or a perfect memory, make do. Use people who have those things."

"Use people?" Eren stared up at him, perturbed. He saw only cold candor in the captain's eyes.

"If they die, they should die useful. You know that."

Eren nodded. _Everyone knows that._ He felt his resolve returning, heating his blood and tensing his muscles.

Levi's condescending stare burned him. "Use everything and everyone you have to fulfill your utmost potential. That's strength. Are you at least trying to do that, brat?"

The wind stung Eren's face. With a grunt he stood to his feet and yanked back his hood. "Yes, Captain!"

"That's the best humanity can hope for." Levi met Eren's gaze with intent, burnished-steel eyes. "And humanity is used to paying dearly for the best. You could be our last straw. I couldn't say. Just try to remember - everyone hopes you're not."

Eren stood still, letting those words sink in. His face changed and he looked down at his feet.

Levi frowned. "You still look constipated."

"Sir, it's just..." Eren exhaled. "I know I'm doing my best, but is it enough-?"

"Tch." Levi faced forward, his contempt dropping on Eren like an anvil. "No. Idiot. Your best is shit right now. Can't you do better?"

"Uh!" Eren blurted before facing forward and standing erect. Eagerness churned in his every word. "Yes, sir! I'll put my all into it. I'll decimate the enemy." A vicious gleam brightened his eyes. "I'll soak the fields in Titan blood."

Levi made a face. "Tch!"

"I'll be the strongest soldier in the Survey Corps!" Eren crowed into the wind, oblivious.

The wind died, voice cut off like something slit its throat.

"Shut up," said the captain.

"Uh, I didn't mean-!" Eren fumbled, remembering who he was talking to.

Levi's left arm flung in front of the boy, silencing him. They both stilled, listening.

Something heavy moved out there.

Cautiously Levi stepped closer to the edge, squinting. Other guards on the perimeter moved to the edge as well, pointing and calling. They all heard them now. Footfalls. Heavy, slow footfalls.

Levi's face froze. "CANNONS!"

The Wall gave a violent shake as **something **leaped at it. Eren and Levi fell to their knees as a giant, long-fingered hand stretched over the ramparts. Higher it reached, becoming an arm - a huge, hairy arm.

Something punched Eren in the stomach. The captain had grabbed him by the waist. They jumped backwards, weightless, falling-! Two cables shot from Levi's gear faster than light, grapples anchoring to the inner Wall.

CRUNCH!

The giant hand gripped the top, right where they'd stood. Chips of stone and dust rained down as the cables stretched taut and Levi planted his feet. Grasping Eren in one hand, the captain tore off both their coats and the heavy garments flapped to the darkness. Both soldiers hung upright and steady as a shadow loomed over them.

Eren stared through the dust cloud at two, massive glowing eyes.

_A Titan? _The boy gaped. _It climbed the Wall! Trost is breached!_

_Again!_

_It's happening all over again!_

* * *

**Author's Note: **

I put this chapter through a hardcore edit so it's pretty much exactly as I like it now. I hope you've enjoyed the final product. I really appreciate any reviews, follows or favorites. Get ready for some action in the next chapter and click go!

Sarah


	2. Blitzkrieg

**BLITZKRIEG**

* * *

Light glimmered in Trost's southeast quarter. It shone through a startlingly clean window of an ordinary house - undetectable from its neighbors, if not for the mark faintly scratched on the door post: a pair of crossed, feathered wings. Squad Levi's current safe house was tranquil this night. It barely creaked in the wind.

A shrill, nagging voice bounced off the bleach-white walls. "Eren!"

Hanji Zoe held her candle high as she climbed the stairs. She wore a petulant frown behind her glasses. Lack of sleep gave her eyes a watered, wrinkled look and her brunette pony tail hung limp.

"Errrennn!" she called, then whined. "Oh nooo, did he run away from me?" She gasped as she heard the front door shut and then footsteps. A familiar figure wearing a red scarf crossed in front of the stairs. "Aha! Mikasa!"

The young warrior woman shed her coat; 3DMG fully decked her hips and her chin-length hair looked windblown from her walk outside. Patient, she waited for Hanji to reach her side. The Squad Leader took one look around and her hopeful expression drooped. The only sign of Eren was his maneuver gear, unattended on the supper table.

"Awwww! Eren isn't with you?"

Mikasa's dark eyes frowned. "You lost him?"

They stared at each other, non-plussed.

It hit suddenly - BOOM! - like a mountain cracked in half. Both of them staggered and shouted. The candle blew out and the floorboards rippled as the dreadful sound clapped them once again. BOOM!

"Whoa!" Hanji braced against the wall. "HAH! Sounds like BIG trouble. OH!" Her energy-packed body looked ready to explode. "Do you think it's Eren? That crazy boy! I'm going to be so upset with him! He knows he's not supposed to transform unsupervised!"

Mikasa had clamped her hands to the table for support and she rolled her eyes. Sharp voices cut through the house as the rest of the squad woke and called to each other. Screaming echoed through the streets.

"We're under attack," the red-scarfed girl murmured.

"WHAT!" Hanji's expression contorted crazily; Mikasa swore Squad Leader's face was made of molding clay. "The hostages!" With a furl of her cape, she rushed back downstairs.

Mikasa heard cannon fire.

"Eren!" She fixed her gaze on her foster brother's gear and swiped it up.

* * *

Eren's fingers locked onto his captain's harness. He breathed hard, barely registering the panicked voices overhead. "Cannons! Cannons!" Hanging from Levi's back, he struggled to brace against the slick Wall. His ankles kicked at forty-five meters of empty space below. And above him, crinkled eyes stared unblinking. The Beast ignored all the other soldiers swarming the gate like insects. Its hand lifted ponderously off the rampart and stretched down.

"**Hold on!**" Levi's voice blasted. He drew the hand-grips from his harness. Eren hugged the captain's chest tight as they kicked off the Wall and spiraled up with a spurt of gas. The boy's vision blurred. Swift fingers squeezed two triggers; the cables retracted, flipping wildly-!

Long, hairy fingers snatched the wires mid-air.

"AGH!" Levi's waist wrenched upward. The hand-grips dropped and hung from their straps, banging uselessly against his thighs and blade canisters. Both his hands were full with Eren as they swung crazily back and forth.

"Damn!" Levi hissed, pain edging his white face.

"Captain!" Eren's eyes were burning green stars. He risked freeing one hand to put in his mouth. "I can fight him!"

Levi caught the hand faster than a spring-trap. "Bite that hand and I will kill you."

Eren froze. "What!" They were jerked upward and the boy nearly lost his grip. He clung desperately at Levi's neck and shirt, crying out.

"Stupid brat!" Levi snarled. "Your hands are sweaty!" He grabbed Eren's scalp and pulled the boy to his face. "Obey your captain. I forbid you to change form, no matter what happens. Understand?"

They both cringed as a hot, reeking gush of air engulfed them; the Beast had them dangling before its nostrils. Levi and Eren awkwardly spun around, a scant few meters away from its mouth. Bulbous lips split open and saliva dripped down rows of molars caked in rotted flesh.

"So," the Beast rumbled. "Which one of you is the Coordinate?"

_It can speak!_ The hair on Eren's nape stood on end, his whole body electrified.

Levi's glare briefly shifted to the cannons. He smirked.

"Let go."

"Huh!" Eren's grip was shook free; his hands snatched at nothing! "CAPTAIN!"

He plummeted.

In a flash, Levi plugged blades to hand-grips. Brandishing steel, he jettisoned upward and sawed into Beast's fingers. Blood, flesh and hair spattered the Wall; the freed cables zipped back into their drum. The captain arched backward and dived.

"FIRE!" a guard bellowed.

A dozen cannon shots shattered the air and the barrage hit the Beast full in the face. Eren's ear drums burst, all sound compressing into a high-pitched ring. The blinding explosion washed over him; his fall seemed to slow to a float; he could see Levi descending from on high, a stark black shape cut out of the light. He stretched his hand out and Eren reached back.

Next second his lungs ripped out a scream as Levi caught him by the torso. Together, they zoomed down into Trost's streets. Buildings sped by. Their feet clipped the bricked ground and then they launched up again in a stomach-churning arc. Blood rushed to Eren's head and he quickly concluded two things; there was flying via 3D Maneuver Gear, and then there was flying bullet speed via Captain Levi.

He gagged. "Shit! Gonna be sick!"

Levi blanched. With an acrobatic kick he made a sharp turn and landed them on a rooftop. Eren immediately dropped to his knees and retched. Keeping well away from the mess, Levi looked calmly back at the gate. It was obscured in cannon smoke and flashes of fire.

Eren wiped his mouth. "Y-you dropped me!" he gasped.

"I made a quick call."

A mob of citizens rushed down the street below, tripping in their haste to get away from the gate. Panic pulsed the air, thick and smothering as the smoke billowing off the Wall. Levi hooked an arm around Eren's waist and lightly leaped off the roof to the street.

"Back to the safe house," he ordered Eren once he could stand. "Meet with the rest of the squad and equip for battle." He turned and fired his cables.

"Captain!" Eren said between panted breaths. "You just told me I should use **everything** I have! I don't understand why you won't let me fight-!"

"Eren." Levi's tone cut Eren's voice clean off. He partially faced him, face stone-cold in the street's torchlight.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Eren clenched his teeth and looked away.

"Go," Levi said.

"Where do we meet-?"

Levi disposed his dulled blades. "I'll find you." He launched off, gone in a spout of gas.

Eren remained, barely aware of the people pushing past him. He looked at his hands; they shook. His whole body shook and a foul patina of vomit coated his throat. The boy spat and spat again, clutching at his sweat-soaked hair. "Damn it!" Blubbered sobs caught his ear and he looked up. A woman with blood-shot eyes dragged her screaming daughter by the hand. The child slowed her mother down, her weight clumsy, her feet useless. Suddenly, the woman dropped her, letting the little girl trip and fall on her face. The woman rushed on ahead, not looking back. Person after person ran by, seeming to not even see the child bawling in the mud.

The sight transfixed Eren where he stood.

_Damn this Hell...following me wherever I go..._

"Eren!"

He blinked and turned to see Mikasa swooping out of the sky. Nimbly she landed and ran up, carrying something. "I have your gear. Here." She made to hook up his equipment for him.

Furious, Eren slapped her hands away. "I can do it myself, Mikasa!" He buckled on the drum, blade canisters and hand-grips as fast as he could.

Mikasa looked at the crying child. "What's happening?" she asked softly.

"We need to gather the team," Eren said. "Captain's orders." He lifted his determined gaze skyward, but Mikasa put a halting hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," she said, and went over to the child. She picked her up, and narrowed her eyes at the oncoming crowd. Her hand shot into a passing middle-aged man, catching him in his step.

"Hey!" he huffed.

"Take care of this child," Mikasa ordered. "She's yours to carry to safety." She carefully but firmly pushed the sniffling little girl into his grasp. He held her at arm's length, baffled.

"What! I'm not this brat's father, why should I-!"

Mikasa speared him with a look of wintered earth. "If you do not take this child to safety then she will be left here and she will die. Will you let that happen? Will you leave this little girl to her death?"

The man recoiled. "No, no of course I won't! I'll-! I'll save her, I promise!" Fearfully he rushed past the winter-eyed woman and jogged onward, child tight in his arms.

Satisfied, Mikasa turned on her heel and caught Eren's eye. "Now we can go."

He nodded; now they could go. Sureness heated his bones and pumped through his blood once more. They fired their cables and took flight, cannon blasts bludgeoning their ears. The clogged, fire-lit street shrunk beneath their heels and they hit the sky, swallowed in clouds black as ink. As searing winds buffeted them, Eren momentarily panicked and dropped down to a roof. The hard tile sent an unwelcome jab of pain through his ankles.

He crouched, letting his eyesight adjust. _How the hell will we fight in the damn dark! We're dead if we fly blind! _

"There." Mikasa pointed at blobs of light swinging their way. They could make out two, which became three, plus two more bringing up the rear.

"The team!" Eren stood straight and waved. Squad Levi flew down in formation, all carrying torches.

Jean landed first, tall legs bending expertly to break the fall. "What did I tell you guys," he said as the rest lightly landed around him. "Mikasa left us behind as usual and found him first." He shone his torch in Eren's eyes. "Where have you been? What's happening here? Why are the cannons firing?"

"Get that torch out of my face, Jean!" Eren growled, as someone else rushed up. He recognized the diminutive height and gray, shaven head.

"Did Central launch an attack?" Connie asked.

"Some dumbass attack!" Jean shouted as cannon shot cracked the air. "They're only hurting my ears."

Eren motioned at the others and they surrounded him as close as the torches allowed. He saw many things in their young, tense faces - mostly confusion and uncertainty. It made him sweat, the way they crowded him. Connie and Jean stood so close he felt the heat off their torches. Historia's pale, petite figure stood so far back, he half-expected her to fall out of sight. Sasha fervently looked from side to side, ponytail wagging. Armin locked intelligent blue eyes on Eren, expecting his best friend to provide the group sureness, to fuel them with resolve.

Eren met all their gazes boldly. "It's not Central, it's a Titan! A damn big one all covered in hair. He climbed the Wall and he's probably over the gate by now!"

"He climbed the Wall?" Jean repeated, disbelieving.

Color drained from Historia's cheeks and her blue-bird eyes stared into space. "That one."

"The Beast Titan!" Connie hissed. An ear-shattering blast lit the sky. "I've been wanting to say hi to that fucker."

"The Wall!" Armin cried out. He frantically met everyone's questioning stare. "Eren! From what Connie and Historia told us, that Beast Titan is strong enough to tear off pieces of the Wall! That could be why it's here-!" He flinched at another explosion. "To destroy the gate! We need to-!"

"It's not here to destroy the gate," Eren said in low-toned frustration. "It's after me."

He saw his own, sickened dread reflected in their faces.

"How could you know that?" Jean glared at him. "Just because Titans have tried to capture your kamikaze ass twice..."

"It spoke! It asked me and the Captain which one of us was the Coordinate."

"Great!" Jean's sarcasm could penetrate The Armored Titan. "What a big fucking surprise!"

"Are we going to fight it?" Sasha broke in nervously.

"Yes!" Connie brandished his blades.

The others just backed away from him, giving him incredulous looks. Grimly, Historia gazed down at the chaotic streets. "I think we should be helping the citizens evacuate."

Armin nodded. "I think so too."

Titanic cannon fire electrified the sky. Connie's face burned and sweated like a mad bull. "Come on guys, don't be so weak! We're an elite squad! We can take that bastard!"

"Connie, we don't know what that Titan is fully capable of!" Armin said.

"OH YEAH!?" Connie jabbed his blade boldly in the gate's direction. "I know there's only ONE Titan out there and-!"

"No there's not."

The group turned in surprise at the voice; they'd missed one squad mate in the huddle. Mikasa stood at the edge of the roof, her hollow stare fixed on the gate. First Connie, then Jean and the others joined her side. Their mouths and eyes opened wide. But the nightmare they beheld stole their voices and they could not scream.

The loud blasts of light and fire hadn't been cannon shots.

The Beast perched on the gate, freakishly long arms draped down the side. Every few seconds, a branch of lightning shot down within a hundred yards of him. Columns of smoke exploded wherever a bolt struck. Large, horribly familiar shapes emerged.

"There's not just one," Mikasa said.

**Over a dozen** Titans lumbered around the gate. Unsteady waves of Garrison soldiers flew in and swung at the creatures with their blades. But for each monster that tumbled, another rose up out of lightning and steam. The cloak of night did not hinder them; hideous faces wrapped in darkness, they stalked the streets and foraged for terror-stricken victims. Countless plumes of Titan steam swept overhead, making it impossible to spot a Titan's vulnerable nape. Rushing in blind, many soldiers found themselves flying straight into gaping mouths. Bones snapped and their screams were swallowed down the cavernous maw.

Squad Levi watched in horror.

"The Beast Titan is...creating them," Armin whispered, awe-struck. "How? How is this possible?"

Connie's voice trembled with rage. "I am going to stick my blade so hard up that motherfucker's ass!"

Focus abruptly returned to Jean's eyes and he took a fighting stance. "Right! Here's the plan, everyone! We need to get people as far away as possible from that monster! We're evacuating Trost and slaughtering any Titan that gets in our way! Ready with me!" He plugged blades into his hand-grips.

The rest followed suit, exchanging nervous glances. None of them looked ready, except Mikasa. The roof suddenly shook and they all turned to see a ten-meter class rounding the street corner. They couldn't see its face, but it was definitely looking at them.

Jean hastily gestured. "There! Eren! Take that one out!"

Eren stared at the enemy, not budging. Even as they gripped his blades, his hands started shaking again.

"What are you waiting for!" Jean yelled. "Change form and kill it!"

"I can't!" said Eren. _What's wrong with me! It's not like I haven't killed before...!_

"Why the hell not!" Jean looked at everyone else, at their petrified faces, their limp blades. "Hey! Why aren't any of you attacking!"

"Why aren't **you** attacking!" Connie shouted.

Eren looked at all of them, understanding. _They're all thinking it. They know that Titan was just a human minutes ago. They know when they cut the neck, they're actually cutting...! _His stomach writhed and he nearly retched again.

He gasped as Mikasa zipped by him. Her cables shot forward, anchoring in the Titan's neck. Two blades slashed in a perfect X; the nape came off cleanly; the Titan jerked and collapsed. Flying around in an arc, Mikasa returned to the roof. She looked hard in the eyes of her squad mates.

"Titans or humans, we must fight. Or else die."

Eren exhaled, an admiring smile in his eyes. He caught the same smile in Jean and the others. Competitive spirit flushed their faces. Connie's face burned with a fresh surge of aggression.

"Time to kick ass!"

Mikasa raised her right-hand blade to the lightning-cracked sky. "With me!"

Six more blades pumped the air and six voices shouted as one. "YEAH!"

"RRAAAAAAAAH!" Mikasa shot off the roof and they all launched after her.

They dove straight into action. Trost's streets became their web, and they were spiders gracefully swinging from spot to spot, target to target. They aimed low, where upturned braziers burned and fires started to catch at the debris piles. By the light of the blaze, two teammates could cut out a Titan's ankle tendons and floor them, bringing the nape into plain sight. In sparks and steam they slashed.

When they could, the squad scooped up citizens to carry out of harm's way.

"I NEED COVER!" Jean blasted out a flaming roof with two screaming kids clinging to his harness. It was all he could do to hang on, weaponless and weighed down. His heart jumped into his throat as a Titan-sized shadow moved over him. He crash-landed on the roof with the kids, staring up at a warped mouth with a huge overbite.

"I got you Jean!" Eren whizzed across. With a scream he shot straight into the Titan's neck and exploded out the other side. Yawning stupidly, the creature collapsed. Its over-sized teeth shattered as it face-planted the ground.

Drenched head to toe in steaming blood, Eren landed on the roof with Jean. The taller solider gaped. "Holy shit, Eren!"

"Learn to share, Horseface." Eren panted, taking one of the shell-shocked kids. "Let's go!"

Many would remember the glory of Squad Levi that night. Mikasa soaked the streets in blood. For every Titan her squad mates dragged down, she effortlessly felled two. She was a red-scarfed phantom, slicing out of the smoky haze before disappearing again to find another kill. Armin and Historia shed a brilliant light for the others as they took up torches in their left hands instead of blades. Like fair-headed angels of death they drove the burning sticks into their target's enormous eyes. Soon several debilitated, flaming Titans stumbled about, easy prey for the others.

In a flash of lightning, Connie came down screaming on the nape of his target. Blood soaked his sleeves then evaporated instantly. He looked up and saw another squad of Garrison soldiers zoom overhead.

"They're headed for the gate!" He hastily switched his blades out.

"Connie!" Jean yelled as he flipped over another brazier in the street. "**Don't follow them!** Stay away from-!"

Connie was already gone.

"Fucking idiot!" Jean viciously sliced out a Titan's shin; it stumbled, crashing to its knees. Its head fell face first through a burning roof.

"Now, Sasha!"

On the next roof over, Sasha dashed across the tiles. "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry!" She leaped the edge, soaring up in a trail of gas. Her blades drew back for the kill. Metal met flesh and boiling blood went up in steam.

**"So terribly sorry!"**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

How freaking cool was that? Please follow, review, favorite, all three! I really enjoyed writing the action in this chapter and I'm pleased with how it turned out after the final edit. If you're wondering about the title Blitzkrieg, it's German for "lightning war". It's a WWII military term for a swift, aggressive aerial attack, meant to take out the target in one fell swoop. I found it a very fitting name for this chapter.

Sarah


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